The Seoul metropolitan government began operating a walk-through COVID-19 screening clinic for residents arriving from abroad on Friday, in an effort to cut down on imported cases of the disease. Photo courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

SEOUL, April 3 (UPI) -- South Korea crossed the threshold of 10,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, health officials reported Friday, as the country turns its focus toward combating imported cases of the disease.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 86 new patients on Friday, bringing the country's total to 10,062. South Korea has averaged around 100 new cases per day for roughly three weeks, leveling out the spread of the disease after a dramatic spike that started in mid-February in the southeastern city of Daegu.

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However, concern is increasing over the number of cases being brought in from overseas travelers, primarily Korean nationals returning from abroad, and officials put stricter measures into action this week.

"Globally, we have seen a surge in the outbreak of infections and the government has put in place stronger infectious disease control measures for all who are arriving to South Korea," KDC director Jung Eun-kyeong said at a press briefing Friday.

Thirty-eight of the new patients reported Friday were arrivals from overseas, the KCDC said, bringing the total of imported cases to 647. Of these, 92 percent are Korean nationals.

On Wednesday, the government began imposing an automatic 14-day quarantine for all inbound travelers to South Korea. Those with a local residence are allowed to self-isolate at home, while other arrivals are required to stay in a government-designated facility at their own expense.

There are nine such quarantine facilities, senior KCDC official Yoon Tae-ho said, with plans in place to add more.

All arrivals who are in isolation are required to install an app that allows authorities to monitor them in real time.

Scenes from a pandemic: World copes with COVID-19

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Students leave school as the threat level of coronavirus has been officially lowered and a few schools open in Beijing on May 11. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

People in China continue to wear protective face masks while visiting a shopping area in Beijing. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

A medical worker stands by before the simulation for drive-through coronavirus testing at the Kashima soccer Stadium in Ibaraki-Prefecture, Japan on May 10. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

A medical worker collects a sample for polymerase chain reaction tests for coronavirus during a simulation for drive-through. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson claps outside Downing Street in London to show his support for key workers during the coronavirus pandemic in London on May 7. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo

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Shoppers visit the Rami Levy Atarot Mall, north of Jerusalem, on May 7. The Atarot Mall is the first Israeli-Palestinian Mall. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

A security guard checks the temperature of a woman before granting her entrance to the Rami Levy Atarot Mall. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

A young ballerina" wears a protective face mask while walking with her mom in Beijing on May 4. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

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Some are no longer practicing social distancing but continue to wear protective face masks in Beijing. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

A resident displays a banner marked "merci," thank you, from her home window in recognition of health workers' efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Paris on April 28. Photo by Eco Clement/UPI | License Photo

A resident bangs a cooking pan with a wooden spoon from her balcony to make noise for health workers in Paris as the country enters its sixth week of confinement. Photo by Eco Clement/UPI | License Photo

The French premier announced Tuesday that protective masks, which have been in severe shortage since the outbreak of the pandemic, will be available for everyone starting May 11. Photo by Eco Clement/UPI | License Photo

A tailor tends to self-made cotton masks for sale at his shop. Photo by Eco Clement/UPI | License Photo

Israelis wear mandatory face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic while observing two minutes of silence as sirens wail across the country for Remembrance Day For Fallen Soldiers and Terror Victims in Jerusalem on April 28. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

A shop displays the national flag for Remembrance Day and Independence Day. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

An Israeli soldier wears a mask for protection against the coronavirus, while saluting the graves of fallen soldiers before Memorial Day at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem on April 26. Bereaved families will be forbidden to visit the cemetery on Israel's Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Terror Victims, which begins at sunset April 27 in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

Pedestrians no longer practice safe "social distancing" but continue to wear protective face masks while visiting a popular entertainment area in Beijing on April 26. As the rest of the world, especially the United States, is wrestling with the deadly novel coronavirus pandemic, daily life in China is gradually returning to normal. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

Israeli police arrest a vendor of the famous outdoor market Mahane Yehuda during a protest against the extended closure of the marketplace, while the Israeli government has eased coronavirus restrictions for other businesses on April 26 in Jerusalem. The protesters banged pans and shouted against the opening of IKEA, while they are forced to remain closed. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

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Protective face masks are sold next to the imported cheese counter at a supermarket in Beijing. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

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China has refuted charges from U.S. intelligence officials that it concealed the true extent of its coronavirus outbreak, although multiple revisions to its epidemic data have fueled mistrust both at home and from other countries. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

Fewer than usual visitors are seen at the Isezakicho Shopping district in Yokohama, Kanagawa-Prefecture, Japan on April 19. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

Palestinian Security forces wear personal protective equipment as a precaution against the coronavirus at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip on April 13. The crossing was temporarily reopened for four days. The Palestinian government in Gaza prepares to receive 3,000 return travelers to Gaza. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo

Pedestrians walk past a police vehicle in Jerusalem on April 12. The Israeli government deployed 1,000 police officers to enforce a full closure on Jewish religious neighborhoods with the highest rate of coronavirus. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

Visitors walk by the St. Joseph Catholic Church, closed due to the pandemic, on Easter in Beijing on April 12. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

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Medical personnel stand outside the Muscat Medical Center as people leave quarantine, arriving through a border crossing into the Gaza strip on April 6. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo

Palestinians leave the Muscat Medical Center after 21 days in quarantine, following an order to protect against potential coronavirus spread in the Gaza strip. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo

The Palm Sunday Mass was celebrated without the presence of the public as Italy battles the coronavirus. Pool Photo by Haring Spaziani/UPI | License Photo

A Catholic priest reads on Palm Sunday in the Old City of Jerusalem on April 5. The traditional Palm Sunday Procession on the Mount of Olives was cancelled due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

Youths dressed as clowns put on a show on the street to entertain children confined at home in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 4. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo

Few pedestrians walk at Joshidai koji entertainment district in Nagoya, Aichi-Prefecture, Japan on April 5. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

Tourists take photos at Maruyama Park in Kyoto, Japan, on April 4. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

Devotees pray at distance at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem on April. 2. The cases of coronavirus have jumped in Israeli Ultra-Orthodox cities, amid growing concerns of a major outbreak of COVID-19 in the religious communities. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

Shmuel Rabinovitch, the rabbi of the Western Wall, wears a protective mask while praying. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

A man walks in an empty arrivals hall in the Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, Israel, on April 1. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

Pedestrians walk in the streets of Beijing on March 29. China's capital is slowly returning to normal amid a sharp fall in the number of new coronavirus cases and the return of spring weather. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

Pope Francis, isolated in front of an empty square from the sagrato of St. Peter's Basilica in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City, offers an extraordinary moment of prayer in time of pandemic, the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, on March 27. The "Salus Populi Romani" icon and the crucifix of St. Marcellus, are placed in front of the central door of the basilica. Vatican media broadcast the ceremony live to the world and it could also be followed in several languages on Facebook and YouTube. Photo by Stefano Spaziani/UPI | License Photo

Pope Francis prays on the sagrato of St. Peter's Square to deliver a special Urbi et Orbi Blessing to the world. Photo by Stefano Spaziani/UPI | License Photo

A Palestinian sits outside a shuttered shop on an empty street in Jerusalem's Old City on March 28. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

A shopper wears a protective mask and gloves outside the Old City. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

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Quarantine officers wearing face masks and face shields check the body temperature of a passenger at a quarantine station at Narita International Airport. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

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A member of Magen David Adom wears protective clothing while working in a coronavirus testing drive-through tent in Jerusalem on March 27. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo

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Security forces keep their distance to protect themselves from a potential infection as they check residents for the documents allowing them to be on the streets of Paris near the Eiffel Tower on March 26. Photo by Eco Clement/UPI | License Photo

People in Beijing visit a fashion galleria on March 26. China's capital is slowly returning to normal amid a sharp fall in the number of new coronavirus cases and the return of spring weather. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

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Marina Street in Barcelona is scarcely populated on March 21. Photo by Andreu Dalmau/EPA-EFE

A security guard eats at a neighborhood checkpoint as the threat of the coronavirus fades in Beijing on March 21. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

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An informational guidebook is held by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence during a Coronavirus Task Force news conference at the White House in Washington, D.C. on March 20. Photo by Al Drago/UPI | License Photo

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A man sits in a bus station in central Tel Aviv on March 16. Photo by Abir Sultan/EPA-EFE

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Travelers stand in line at the Adolfo-Suarez Barajas International Airport in Madrid on March 12, the morning after Trump announced the travel ban on flights from Europe. Photo by Emilio Naranjo/EPA-EFE

Medical personnel wearing protective gear help the family of a patient carry her to a CT scan in the Rassolakram hospital in Tehran on March 11. Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/UPI | License Photo

Shoppers don masks on Clement Street in San Francisco on March 11. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a televised prime-time address from the Oval Office on March 11, announcing that travelers from most European countries would not be allowed to enter the United States for 30 days. Pool Photo by Doug Mills/UPI | License Photo

Palestinian municipality workers wearing protective gear disinfect a park to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Gaza on March 11. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo

Purple ribbons hang outside of the Young Israel of New Rochelle synagogue in New Rochelle, N.Y. on March 10. A 1-mile containment zone around the city in Westchester County was set up in hopes of slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Guests have their temperature checked before being allowed to enter an international shopping mall in Beijing on March 10. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

Chinese President Xi Jinping visits patients via video calls on March 10 at the Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, where the outbreak began. Photo by Ju Peng/EPA-EFE/XINHUA

The cruise ship Grand Princess is seen 15 miles off the California coast as it waits to enter San Francisco Bay on March 9. The ship was being held in quarantine with 21 diagnosed cases of COVID-19 aboard. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo

A notice posted at St.Thomas's Hospital in London on March 9 proclaims a lack of face masks. Photo by Andy Rain/EPA-EFE

Shelves are empty in a grocery store on March 5, after panic buying in Beijing. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

The Seoul subway mascot, Ddota, promotes the use of hand sanitizer in South Korea on March 4. South Korea's efforts to contain the virus offer lessons for other countries. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo

A street in Seoul's Namdaemun market, a popular tourist destination, is nearly empty on March 4. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo

A worker sprays disinfectant inside a Vietnam Airlines airplane at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on March 3. Photo by Luong Thai Linh/EPA-EFE

Researchers with the Emerging Infectious Disease branch at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, conduct studies in order to find a solution for the coronavirus, on March 3. Photo by USAMRDC/UPI | License Photo

Pedestrians walk near the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street in New York City on March 3. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Office workers wearing face masks are seen at the Shinjuku station in Tokyo on March 2. Some companies are granting flexible-time work schedules or work from home to curb the spread of new coronavirus infections. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

Tokyo Disneyland, closed to curb the spread of the virus, in Urayasu, Chiba-Prefecture, Japan, was empty of tourists on February 29. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

A hospital worker in a biohazard suit checks his phone at Daegu Medical Center in Daegu, South Korea on February 21. Most of South Korea's cases were traced to a secretive religious organization, where a "super spreader" with the virus came in contact with hundreds. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo

Transit workers use a thermal sensor to check a passenger's body temperature at a subway station in Daegu, South Korea on February 21. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo

The quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess is docked at the Daikoku Pier in Yokohama, Kanagawa-Prefecture, Japan on February 19. Hundreds aboard the ship were infected. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

Public service announcements in the subway advise people to wear protective face masks in Beijing on February 6. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

A subway carriage is nearly empty during a normally busy rush hour in Beijing on February 6. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

One of the Beijing's major temple fairs is closed due to the coronavirus outbreak on January 25. All major Chinese New Year events were canceled to help stop the spread of the virus. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

On Friday, the Ministry of Justice announced that it had implemented an order restricting the scope of activities for foreign arrivals, the first time such a move has been made. Those who fail to comply with instructions for quarantine or other public health guidelines can face a prison term of up to three years or a fine of up to about $16,000.

The Seoul city government also announced the opening of a walk-through screening clinic dedicated to residents arriving from abroad on Friday. The facility, located in a stadium parking lot, is capable of testing around 1,000 patients a day, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said.

In addition to imported cases, health authorities continued to express concern about cluster infections at locations such as churches and hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area, where half of the country's 51 million residents live.

Officials have asked citizens to continue an enhanced social distancing campaign, while the Seoul city government said it was planning to take legal action against a conservative Christian church whose members violated an order to refrain from mass gatherings.

United States Forces Korea, the military command for the roughly 28,500 American troops stationed on the Korean Peninsula, announced that two American citizens working as contractors tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the total number of infections among its population to 17.